The Ford Fiesta History & how it came to RESCUE Ford U.S.A

[@thebestisyettocome4114]

I bought this car in 1978. It was my first new car. $ 97.99 bucks a month with Loan from Wells Fargo. I remember the finance mgr said pay this note on time and you'll be fine . Never forget that comment.

[@lizkrinsky5209]

Had a 1978 Fiesta, four-speed manual. It started up in all kinds of lousy weather. Great gas mileage and very reliable.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Thanks for sharing!

[@tbolt5883]

I had a used 1980 Fiesta in Lime green or what ever color it was. I put black racing stripes on it and my wife called it the "Racing Lime". It was one of my favorite cars that I ever owned. I got it with 40,000 miles and had to get rid of it at 264,000 miles because it could no longer pass inspection with the floor rusted out. I sadly drove it to the junk yard. Months later I saw an Orange colored Fiesta with a lime green driver's door with black pin stripes and body side molding. That was my Fiesta's door on that car. Part of my car still lived.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

That's a great story! Thanks for sharing!

[@glennelbey4454]

Bought one of these as a teenager. Gold metallic and cost about $3200. Great litlle car and with 4 snow tires, it was unstoppable in winter weather.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Thanks for sharing

[@patrickr9372]

…And those snow tires were a P145/80R12 Michelin XZX. Unbelievably small. My dad bought a 1979 Fiesta and used it as his ice fishing vehicle since the FWD had such great traction. I took my driver’s license test in it in 1984 (never mind the parking brake didn’t work) and traded it in 1991. Parts were getting hard to come by at that time. I can’t imagine keeping one running 30 years later.

[@funcarsnow5973]

I had the privilege of being part of the Ford leadership team at the Fiesta US product launch It was truly one of the highlights of my Ford career. I had 2 'S's' as company vehicles. They were more fun than a box of puppies! I could go on and on but I'll stop. If you're interested, we can pursue more off line. John

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Thanks for sharing john. I always thought these were awesome little cars.

[@ProjectFairmont]

We had an ‘80 S. Couldn’t have said it better. A remarkable little car.

[@regandunn4850]

I've got the focus turbo it's a fun car to rip the back roads in

[@atomicorang]

I still remember the Fiesta as a teen in the late 70s. I think it influenced my buying the 82 Escort. It was the stripo model with the stick shift. It had AC maybe with an AM radio . I loved that car

[@theguy4615]

I had a used fiesta, in 1988 I drove it from Minneapolis to San Diego pulling a motorcycle, through a blizzard in the mountains. When I got back to minnesota, I rolled it in a ditch and it kept on going. One of the best cars I ever had.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

That's awesome! Thanks for sharing.

[@phantom0456]

That shite is hot. I couldn’t help but imagine the matador in the Fiesta commercial shown in this video rolling away from your Fiesta with his cape as your Fiesta rolled over and landed on its wheels, only to continue on…

[@racekar80]

It’s amazing how some cars disappear, I have not seen one of these in 10-15 years. Always liked them

[@tuberider2077]

My 1st car 1779 Fiesta fun little car ,cool interior. got mine used 1988

[@jozimoto]

Had a 1980 Fiesta. Super fun to drive. Reliable and economical. One of my favorite cars I ever owned. It had 180,000 miles on it when I sold it. A lot of miles for a car in that era.

[@scrappy7571]

I had several of these in the 80's. Set up one for autocrossing. The 1.6 Kent is the same engine used in formula ford racing, so tons of hot rod parts available. Even in stock form they were fun to drive, and great gas mileage. Girl friend at the time had 2 of them, drove them both ito the ground with over 150,000 miles.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Thanks for sharing your experience and for watching!

[@manthony225]

I had a '79 S model. Loved that car.

[@normbittner3762]

The father of a friend in HS had a yellow Fiesta (like in the commercials)- he would pick us up from football practice and load all our gear in it along with his typewriter repair equipment as he was a typewriter repairman- something else that has disappeared. 😂😂

[@NellyS197]

As a mid 40s international car guy, I used to see the Fiesta (and Capri) regularly in Europe over the years but never to this day have ever seen any in the U.S. I didn't even know they were available here. Thank you for what you do keep em coming 👍

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Thanks you for watching! These's one sitting in a front yard less than 10 miles from my house and I know it runs.

[@rickporayko880]

I had a 1978 Fiesta with a 1.6 and 4 speed. I bought it in 1987 for $400. It was in rough shape when I got it and it was in rougher shape when I gave it away in 1992. I LOVED THAT CAR! It was hilariously fun to drive and it was reliable as hell. I never had to walk away from it. It was so nimble. But talk about cheap - no radio, no rear window wiper, no a/c, and not even a glovebox cover. I smiled every time I got into that thing. Weird, huh?

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Thanks for watching and for sharing your experience!

[@neil5877]

I had a mk1 XR2 put new springs and shocks on her and good tyres new rear axle and it stuck to the road like a limpet on a rock you could drift it on the throttle in total control only a 1.6 engine but there was little that could stay with me on a good road brilliant car.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Thank you for sharing your experience.

[@delphi-moochymaker62]

I bought a 1978 Fiesta in 1982 for $1,200. Drove it for 3 years only replacing a muffler and tires. It was the last carbureted engine that I owned. Great city car!

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Thanks for sharing

[@donaldmurrey6852]

I bought one new in 1978 keep for 12 years drove it 200k before I traded it off need cars like that now

[@Joe-cu4hi]

I was a young teenager when they came out. It was so different and small was a new concept for us in the US. I even got a brochure and would daydream having one. Thank you for bringing back old memories

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Thank you for watching! It is appreciated

[@ZebsterP43]

I had a gold ‘78 base model that I bought in ‘81 as a young Marine at Lejeune. I drove it also around there delivering pizzas for Domino’s on weekends. Good, bare bones little car.

[@chrismoseman6671]

this was the first car I ever bought when I was young back in the early 80's it was a lot of fun to drive. there a times I wish I still had that car.

[@super20dan]

my dad bought a ghia model in 78. what a blast to drive. was very reliable

[@richardhansen7915]

I bought a 79 in 80 when i was 20. It was a fun car, I loved it! I recently saw one in what looked like good shape parked in a driveway.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Thanks for sharing!

[@SupergurlKara]

I bought my used orange 1978 Fiesta in 1980 for $300 (three hundred dollars). Manual transaxle, and came with two pop-up sunroofs, one glass and one body-colored steel. I loved ❤ that thing more than the contemporaneous VW Rabbits. I sold it to my sister for $150, the price of the four new tires I'd put on it. She ended up with two of them in her garage.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Thanks for sharing

[@powerwagon3731]

I had used one in about 1980 it was a fantastic car, excellent in the snow and great gas mileage to offset my v8 truck. In the late eighties I bought a new Omni, also an excellent and cheap to keep commuter for my 80 mile round trip to work from the Colorado mountains to Stapleton International Airport before it was moved to DIA.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Thanks for sharing!

[@davidpope3943]

My late father worked at Ford’s Design & Engineering Centre at Dunton in the U.K. from the 1960’s to the early 1980’s. I think it’s now called Dunton Campus. He did a lot of electrical design work for Ford ~ I’ve still got a load of his patents at home. Anyway. The Fiesta. One day he was later back from work than usual, so it was dark. He said to us to come outside and look at what he’d brought home. It was one of the Fiesta prototypes, well in advance of this very important car going into production. His own company car was in for service so he was told he could take the Fiesta as long as it was dark when he left and he had to get it back to Dunton early next morning, around 7a.m. if memory serves. There was obviously no such thing as the internet back then, so this is what passed for secrecy! I can’t remember much about it other than the fact it was so different to the Corsair Estates he used to get each year. It was the first fwd car I’d been in so it was unusual to sit in the back and not have the usual tunnel for the prop shaft in the floor. It was certainly nippy and seemed to handle well. He must have liked the car as he bought several over the years, indeed the last car he ever bought was the then latest version.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Great story. Thank you for sharing it.

[@runeaanderaa6840]

My father sold his old Escort and bought a Fiesta in 1976. I was four years old, and I grew up with this car.

[@mkshffr4936]

Those German Fiestas were absolutely fabulous as wrong wheel drive cars go. Simple, perky, and economical. I haven't seen one since the turn of the century.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Thanks for watching and I seriously see one driving no less than 3 to 4 times a year. Which is amazing. Keep an eye out you maybe be surprised.

[@johnjones928]

My brother had a 79 Fiesta, i had a 76 Capri Ghia. Both were fun cars and of course we modded them. The reason you're still seeing so many of the little buggers around is they were made from thicker German Sheet, they had more experience with winter weather corrosion that the later Japanese imports.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

I never thought about that. Thanks for sharing!

[@karlsheffer8845]

Bought a brand new red S model in 1980 and loved it. Peppy little car and handled well on those 12" tires! It did go through a couple of water pumps (was the belt too tight?) but was otherwise seemed to be a well built car. My friends knick-named it BK (for Beer Kan - being made in Germany and all) because it had that "sound" when closing the doors. Only got stuck in the snow twice, but that was because the snow as so deep the tires no longer touched the road! I was a little hard on it but it had 140,000 miles on it when I traded it in (and the 2nd gear syncro was gone from those 1-2 shifts). I still say it should have had a 5 speed as the motor was buzzing at 70mph on the highway. I miss it.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Thank you for sharing your experience!

[@BigPaul62]

The early Fiestas are now collectors cars here in England. A Mark 1 XR3 would be worth about £10K which is about $14K. I have a 1983 early mark 2 with the 1100 engine and it was expensively restored last year using genuine Ford repair panels which took an age to get together!

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Thanks for sharing! I would imagine finding OEM parts is difficult.

[@ProjectFairmont]

We had a 1980 S. It went through five family members, two of which learned to drive manual in it. A remarkable car in terms of drivability, fun to drive and dependability.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

That's impressive thanks for sharing!

[@mistert7958]

I had a '79 S, orange like the pic, black cloth seats with stripes. Drove 80 mph all day, 40 mpg, on 12" wheels !!!

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Very awesome!

[@timothyforce1949]

In '89 I bought a '79 Ford Fiesta as my first car. It was $600 and ran fine. I was restoring a '65 Mustang and knowing that would take years, I had to have something to drive to school, work and to friends' homes. I remember in the Fall of '89 I was rummaging through a junkyard for some little odds and ends and came across an imported XR2 Fiesta. My dad and I looked it over and ended up taking virtually everything (mechanically) off of it that could make my car into an XR2. I enjoyed that car for about a year until someone t-boned me.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Great story! Thanks for sharing!

[@mongrelmotorsports]

I owned four of these, and would like to have another now as a collectible. My 2nd one was a S model with factory a/c. The a/c was pretty weak; would not recommend. You got the facts right once again. I even learned something: did not know Tjaarda had a hand in the design. My first car was a Fiat 124 spider, so I'm obviously a fan. How great he did two of my favorite cars!

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

The Fiesta are out there and can be had at reasonable prices. Thanks for watching!

[@mistert7958]

I also owned a 124 Spider prior to my Fiesta! Great highway cruiser, with its dual ohc 4 cyl... never started in winter, tho.

[@marcshields3536]

I bought a 1979 fiesta w/52,000 miles on it...put 330,000 more on it!!! Excellent german built engine and transmission transaxle!!!

[@ProjectFairmont]

Technically the engine was English designed and sourced. They say (Europeans) that the “Kent” family of engines were Fords most durable.

[@mattygee5000]

For a small 4 banger, those cars hauled ass

[@bnx200]

Looks like a good car. It's very sad that a car that was produced in the 1970s got better gas mileage than a lot of the vehicles being produced today.

[@SilverCello]

My brother had a 1980. It was white with the sport trim on the sides. I drove from Westchester down to Brooklyn a couple of times. It was a really fun car to drive and was easy to maneuver in NYC traffic. They also had excellent visibility.

[@jehl1963]

I had a couple of used Fiestas after I graduated from college in the mid-80's. LOVED that car. I could park it anywhere in Boston, the engine was very similar to a Formula Ford engine and it was a hoot to drive. It was very much a "slow car that was fun to drive fast". It was also cheap to maintain and fairly easy to work on (as long as you weren't replacing the water pump). I still smile whenever think of them.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Thank you for sharing your experience!

[@gordonslippy1073]

I learned to drive on my dad's 78 Fiesta in 1979. Many great memories, which ended when I totaled it in 1982. It really did get mid-40s mpg on the highway.

[@kennethocongerskin9460]

I have not seen a Mk 1 or 2 fiesta in the UK in about 20 years. I had no idea they were even sold in the States. Nice video👍

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Thank you for the kind words and for watching.

[@slyguyaction]

I grew up in San Bernardino, California and saw many of these in the early 1980s. Haven't seen one in the flesh in at least twenty years tho. Great video.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Thanks for the kind words and for watching!

[@charlesharnois3684]

Bought A New One, 1980, Fun Car, Economical, Drove The Wheels Off It! Would Own Another One In A Minute,Very Reliable Car!

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Thanks for sharing! They look like a fun little car.

[@NASNICK01]

In 1978, I traded my 1971 Mustang sportsroof, 351 Cleveland 4bbl, 4 speed, after all the money I spent modifying it. It got about 8 miles per gallon. My orange fiesta was a great car. 4 new tires for $100.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

I'm sure your MPG went up quite a bit as well.

[@Codyjrt]

I used to live in Japan for several years. Fiestas we’re everywhere. Now I own one too. A hatch with a 5 speed. Love it.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

That's great thanks for sharing!

[@jimlafreeda43]

0-50 9.8 seconds 😂 love it, the didn't even say 60. 55 and stay alive was the limit back in the say. I remember changing a battery on one way back in the day at Sears Auto where I worked in college. Was pretty well build as I recall but really small.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

I owned a Rabbit Diesel (it was $400) for a few years and That car topped out at 70 MPH. I would guess 0-50 would be 20 Seconds ish. Thanks for watching!

[@paleocon777]

I worked at a Ford dealer in Belleville, Michigan as a Porter in 1980. I remember the German Ford fiestas that we had. They were very fun to drive, but the batteries would always go dead on them.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

That's the first time anyone has mentioned an issue with the batteries. I can say I'm surprised as OEM batteries continue to have issues today.

[@nlpnt]

That explains why there was no automatic option, so you could push start them!

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

@@nlpnt I did that with half of the first gen 6 cylinder Mustangs I owned in the 80's. Mostly because I didn't have the $$ to buy a new battery. The smart play was to park uphill.

[@mistert7958]

The S model had a troublesome (and expensive!) Bosch alternator. The base model had a simpler electrical system.

[@danbarkel6347]

This was my first car. A 1979. I bought it in 1984. I owned it for several years. Pretty gutsy and fun to drive. And it always started in some pretty cold Iowa and Michigan winters. Finally sold it to a neighbor in the early 90’s. Great car. Very reliable. Sure glad I was never in an accident with it though. And I had to find a piece of sheet metal to cover up the hole in the floor!

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

That's an awesome first car!

[@ProjectFairmont]

Always started in the dead of winter outside here in WI. The only weak spot was a propensity to warp the front rotors.

[@johnneunuebel5765]

My first new car was a 1980; to my eye the styling still looks great in 2024

[@joedobbins870]

Fiesta was an excellent car!

[@JohnGlen502]

Haven't seen one in South Dakota for many years, but rust might have got them. Only one Chevette recently in Minnesota. No Vegas, no Pintos, no old Hondas either. That first Civic was cute.

[@richardhansen7915]

I owned a 79 Fiesta when almost new, and then a couple years later owned a well used 73 Civic. The Fiesta was a better car.

[@damham5689]

The Fiesta was a tough little car. Back in the early 1980s a friend of mine had a used Fiesta. He would take it out into the woods on the weekends with us when we went off roading. While I drove my Toyota fj40 with 36.5 tires, and others had their lifted 4x4s, my buddy in his stock Fiesta would floor the gas and plow through mud holes. When he'd get stuck we'd pull him out and he'd go again. Then during the week he drove it 50 mile round trip to work and back.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Awesome story! Thanks for sharing!

[@adamsmith9636]

For some odd reason I love the Fiesta . My second job they had a yellow one that they used for making deliveries and I couldn't drive it cus at that time i didn't know how to drive a manual , and my boss was not going to buy the gas for my 1976 Ford Elite with a 351 v8 .

[@fldon2306]

Family had two (2!) Fiestas back in the day, both ‘78. Brother had the fancier one with sun roof (and came with a moon roof panel) and dealer-installed A/C. Was a basic car, but that’s what made the driving experience great. Rack and pinion non-power steering, manual 4-speed (dad’s commuter car and the other may have had a 5speed?). The steering wheel was cantered towards the center of the car; a little awkward. Was a fighter in the snow, especially pulling up hills. But major torque steer and wrestling with the steering on Pennsylvania potholed roads. The rear wheel drum brakes were “upside down” and water would collect and rust them. Fun car for a young driver!

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Thanks for sharing your experience.

[@samuelbean9928]

The 1980 model I had was bombproof. I paid 200$ for it drove it 3 years or so. Put nothing but gas and changes in it sold for 200$. The car had over 200,000 miles. Before I bought it it had been rolled over, totalled by the insurance company. The guy cut the roof off welded on another roof section from a junkyard car,put new glass in it and sold it to me. The guy that bought it from drove it to Florida from Virginia I think 6 times before the engine finally let go .

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Thanks for sharing!

[@ProjectFairmont]

They say (Europeans) that it was the most durable engine (English designed and sourced) Ford made.

[@MrGarfield4]

My first NEW car was a ‘78 Fiesta Gia. Bright yellow. Loved that car, great fun to drive…more fun than 66 hp should have been.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Driving an underpowered car quickly can be a blast. Thanks for watching!

[@MrGarfield4]

@@TonysFordsandMustangs , I currently own a ‘93 del Sol Si. Another slow fun car.

[@wesd2845]

I love these videos Tony, you bring back memories. Never owned a fiesta but I own two escorts that were built in the 1980s. From a looks perspective I think the fiesta's look better than the escort. The escort's were great cars for someone on a budget and drove good in the snow. The only thing they should have changed from the factory was the fuel filter near the engine was only as big as your thumb and kept getting stopped up so I had to install a bigger filter under the car below the passenger seat.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Thank you for watching it is appreciated! There will be a 1st gen Escort on the channel in a few weeks. :)

[@justintyme7213]

One of my very first jobs as a kid was a new/used car porter at a Ford dealership in’79-‘81. I got to drive a few of these and found them to fun, nimble handling cars.

[@paleocon777]

Me too! I remember when the 80’ Thunderbird came out, what a disappointment. Fiestas were fun to drive, but the batteries were always going dead. So every time a customer came in to test drive, I had to go out and jump them.

[@justintyme7213]

@@paleocon777 Yeah the T-Bird was a let down, just a stop gap car until the redesigned ‘83 came out.

[@paleocon777]

@@justintyme7213 I bought an 83 cougar XR-7

[@RobCamp-rmc_0]

We had one of these 40 years ago, after our ‘74 Civic was obliterated in a wreck. It was an orange ‘78, a base model with a 4-speed manual. I don’t remember too much about it, as I wasn’t even 3 years old yet when we had that crash, except there was one time, when I was around 7 or 8, I was watching Back to the Future and my dad had to pick my mom up after our other car, an ‘81 Escort L wagon, decided to break down. In the spirit of Doc Brown, my dad attempted to take it up to 88 mph, and yeah, we saw some serious shit, if by that you meant jaw-rattling shaking. Lack of flux capacitor notwithstanding, I don’t think it even made it up to time-traveling speed, now that I think about it for more than a couple of seconds.

[@edmccandlish520]

Hey Tony !!!! 👋 another cool video. Thanks!!!! My family had a small dental prosthetic business back in day. They had a yellow with brown interior 1980. (Same vintage as me) 😁 It was the delivery car for the business, which my dad acquired after it was replaced with an 88' tracer. I can still smell the interior of that car. I remember my dad shifting through the gears as I rode around with him. That's for the trip to the past !!!! It was a good car for the common folk in its time. Be good !!!!!

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Hey Ed! Thanks for watching and for sharing your story!

[@Wooley689]

I like how your videos always have so much info in such short time.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

I try thanks for watching and subscribing it is appreciated!

[@pmafterdark]

This brings back a lot of memories for me. I remember this car so well. My dad bought one new at Wayside Ford in MA back in 78'. I was 13 at the time. My first job after high school I worked with my mom and she'd let me drive it after we dropped my dad off at his job. We'd just swap seats later down the road because my dad never would let me drive it lol. First time I ever drove a stick and really enjoyed it. It was basic, barebones transportation but it was a good and dependable little car from what I remember. My father finally traded it in for a new 84' Dodge Omni. I'm amazed you said you've seen these around. I haven't seen one here in the U.S. in decades. Last time I saw one was when I went to the UK for my work back in 2006. Saw a couple of them and it blew me away since I hadn't seen any of these in so long.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Most of these were driven into the ground because they were cheap transportation. However i do see one or two locals that drive them often enough to keep them going. Thanks for sharing your story and for watching.

[@johnstapler5956]

I had a 78 Fiesta Sport. Wonderful car. Traded it for a 323. Shouldn't have, the Fiesta was much more fun

[@davidmc1489]

Loved the fiesta.....my buddy had one....also the plymouth champ...he had one of each. I eventually got a champ. Fun little cars

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Very cool!

[@terrylessmann2274]

My folks had a base Fiesta when I was in college. It was so fun to drive. Had an on-off clutch, an on-off heater but got great gas mileage. The Escort was not a great replacement.

[@komradkolonel]

When I was a kid our next door neighbor had a dark blue 1980 Fiesta. They were really basic and not luxurious in any way but that engine and transmission were almost indestructible. The bad thing about them and most cars in general then was that they rusted out. I live in the Ohio Valley and most cities and states here drop 2" of salt for every 1" of snow and that can just eat a car alive.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Thanks for sharing! Salt will do a number on any bit of steel that isn't completely painted. I live in PA and we deal with it here as well. I won't take a car I care about out in the winter. I wait until there several hard rains in the spring.

[@05gtdriver]

Ford did a nice job integrating the 5 MPH bumpers on the North American spec Fiesta. They didn't look as bulky as other small cars of the era, IMO.

[@idrislewis6896]

I was responsible for engineering both the European and ‘Federal’ bumpers, great fun.

[@Templar50401]

Mid eighties there were two sisters from another town who had a bright red Fiesta. I will always associate this car with the "W" sisters.❤

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Thanks for sharing!

[@99somerville]

Brings back good memories. I got a 1980 brand new. It as a very good car. I think I got 100K miles on the original Michelin X tires! I believe the front and rear bumpers interchanged.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Thanks for sharing!

[@RDeanOdell]

Great video as always! I visited the UK when I was a kid in the 90’s, I remember we rented a fiesta.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Thanks you and thanks for watching!

[@williambrown3458]

My childhood friend had a blue Fiesta in the 80s. We both went to the same college. One thing I remembered was seeing frequently his car "perpendicular" parked where his car was parked in a half sized parking space.

[@bongodave13]

The Fiesta ST was just included in the APR/MAY issue of Road and Track as one of "The 20 Greatest Cars We've Ever Driven." You should do a review of that car.

[@frankiedeuce801]

I had a yellow one that I bought for $1,100 in 1986. I loved that car, especially the color and the gas mileage. I ended up trading it in on a Citation X11. I was stationed in West Germany in 1979 and I even drove through Koln on occasion. So I remember seeing XR2s, European Escort XR3s and other hot hatches we never got here. All I could afford while I was there was a Lime Green Golf MK1. The good part was it had the 90hp (GTis were 110hp) 1.5 litre engine, so the same as the U.S. Rabbit GTi.

[@mystisith3984]

Ford & all the other Big 3 need to have a cheap 🥜 minimalistic car in their catalogues. The recession/depression going on is not compatible with 80 to 100K$ vehicles anymore. The middle class is being wiped out & the party is over. 🚗 will always come after shelter + utilities + food.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Well said! and I completely agree!

[@TheLionAndTheLamb777]

My Dad had one of these. He put front and rear sway bars on it from a car in the salvage yard. He swapped the generator for a alternator. Added a passenger's side mirror. Other mods were that he put better speakers in the doors and a cassette player. Fog lights were added a bit later as well. I drove it sometimes, but he sold it for a Volkswagen.

[@jjackson3240]

Bought one of these in about 1990 for $350. It developed a bad tranny leak after a few months. The shop I took it to for repair tried to fix it with RTV. That made it worse. Then they found what they said was the last seal in the country and tried to charge me an additional thousand bucks to fix it. Made me laugh. They fixed it like they were supposed to the first time for just the cost of the seal. It was a fun little car that I drove for about five years. Being a teenager of the 70's, I have also owned Capris, Pintos, a Maverick, Mustangs 1 and II and an Escort. Hadn't really tried to be a Ford person but most of my vehicles seem to have been small Fords...except for my F250 that had a 460 engine in it.

[@atomicorang]

My neighbor bought the red Fiesta like around 77 or 78. I liked it as a teenager.

[@perdanielsorensen7775]

As a European I'm surprised that the Fiesta, the smallest Ford on the European market, was imported to the country of the land yachts, but it makes sense as a move to improve the average fuel economy.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

That was the only reason it happened. I feel it was a better car than the Escort that replaced it. Especially the early Escorts. Thank for watching!

[@markhealey9409]

In the 1960s,English Ford Anglias & Ford Cortinas were also sold in North America.

[@andrewdouglas3091]

I have always been intrigued as to why round sealed beam headlights were mandatory for so many American market cars, as they spoilt the look of many of them. Can you maybe do a video on this? I’m from Australia and have always wanted to know why this was the case. Thank you.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

There were laws passed in the U.S. that date back to 1940 requiring the use of sealed beam headlamps. This was done to control chaotic supply problems with unusual headlights. These laws were updated over the years but for a majority of the mid 20th century there were only 4 bulb designs that were legal to use in U.S. A 1975 update allowed the use of rectangular headlamps and finally in 1984 composite headlamps were approved. I actually like the look of round headlamps as they look classic to me but that could be because I'm from the U.S.

[@joeseeking3572]

I remember the original Fiesta. It was a much more driver involved experience than say, a similar year Corolla or (god help you) a B210. Much (much!) quicker too. For 78-80, you could easily take most of the small cars 0-60, being careful only against a Rabbit. Indeed you could beat most of the rest of the market offerigs in stoplight drags - this was when Chrysler was putting the slug veriosn of a 318 in much of its line up and B body GMs came standard with either the Buick 231 or the Chevy 250 6. Buzzy at speed, could have used a 5th gear. Though in 80 you were cop bait at 72 mph on the highway, so that was somewhat less bothersome. What hurt it in sales may have been the lack of automatic option (which would have killed its nature) but more so the strength of the DM in the late 70's - which also hurt the Rabbit, part of the reason for the PA factory. The Fiesta was a small mini, the size of a Civic. But, by the time you spec'd a Ghia interior (much more livable) and some of stuff Japan gave as standard (power discs, tinted glass, etc.) it was priced like an Accord.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Thanks for sharing your insight and for watching!

[@ProjectFairmont]

It was as quick as a VW Rabbit. The FWD Toyo Tercel came out in 1980, and I have to admit was comparable in terms of acceleration.

[@_autoverse]

Thanks for providing some context to the Fiesta and why it was introduced to the US market.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Thank you for watching!

[@greg9404]

Navy blue 1978 Ghia version here, complete with removable sunroof and the lovely aluminum wheels.

[@regandunn4850]

The late model turbo fiesta are a ruthless little thing get one if you can find one

[@GSimpsonOAM]

FYI Mk1 and Mk2 simply means Mark one and Mark two It took too long for Ford to utilise its world wide appeal. They already had a better car than the Pinto in the form of the Cortina

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Thank you for the info. Being stateside I had no idea and a lot of this is new to me. Cheers!

[@phantom0456]

I went to school with a girl in the early 1990’s whose mom drove a bright red Fiesta… we would make fun of her mom’s car and call it “the tomatomobile…” and now? I wish I had that little car. Kids can be so hateful. She was a sweet kid, and never did anything to any of us. I hope she’s happy and fulfilled today.

[@michaelmartin2276]

While In HS I worked at a Ford dealership and drove Fiesta many times. Fun little car for sure.

[@LarryCook1960]

I owned three of these in the U.S. during the early 1980's. Utterly reliable and simple, terrific snow traction, and luckily the speed limit was 55 back then because it became scary at 70 mph. I drove one 100K miles in three years repairing business computers all over the state of Iowa.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Very awesome. Thank you for sharing your story

[@monkmchorning]

An '80 Fiesta was the first new car I'd ever bought. I used to beat a Fiero on the drag up the hill out of Arlington, Mass., on the way to work. It had an oil leak somewhere, though, that would cause the plugs to foul when the ignition wires got wet. I used to wash the engine with Gunk every couple of weeks.

[@paulf9487]

In Britain in car parlance we pronounce mk as mark, eg mk1, mk2 etc.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Thank you and yes it has been brought to my attention in the comments section and won't happen again. Thanks for watching

[@DaBoogie049]

My mom had an mk2. She drove it for 25 years, then gave it away because of a little problem which made me upset because i wanted to have it for my first car!

[@its_me_voltron6394]

We had one. It was a good car

[@fredfrickler2120]

Ich fahre zur Zeit den Urenkel, einen 96er Fiesta JBS mit 1.25 Liter 16 Ventil Zetec Motor und 75 PS. Bin sehr zufrieden, das Auto ist zuverlässig und macht Spaß. Viele Grüße aus Berlin in Deutschland.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Ich freue mich zu hören, dass es noch ein paar dieser lustigen kleinen Autos gibt. Vielen Dank für die netten Worte und dafür, dass Sie sich mein Video angesehen haben.

[@darylthomas4676]

Never drove a Fiesta Tony but i did have a 1980 Ford Taunus coupe that i purchased when i moved to Germany back in 86. Drove it for a few months till i bought a BMW. I'm sure you've seen one. To me they looked like a mini Ford Granada.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Ford Taunus Coupe was a pretty sporty car!

[@David-nx2vm]

Bought a red ‘79 brand new, loved it except for no a/c.

[@jamescoombs4754]

I had a 1978 base model the windshield squirters were a rubber ball on the firewall that you pumped with your foot. And they came without a glove compartment door i ordered one for $22 and installed it my self

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

They were cheap cars. 67/68 Mustangs had a foot pump that did basically the same thing.

[@DiamondTTrucks]

I had a Blue 1978 Fiesta. Loved the car. I mainly had old chevy hot rods back then, and this car introduced me to front wheel drive, reliability and economy. Sadly, it met its fate on the freeway, when a big log fell off a truck that couldn't be avoided, ripped out the entire front end and drivetrain. I also recall a motor trend review of the car. They were impressed with it, except for the small wheels which they called "Twelve inch stumbling blocks" lol. Miss the car, it was great.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Thank you for your comment and it is timely as I passed a Fiesta today on the highway it wasn't a nice one but they are still out there getting people from place to place.

[@vwestlife]

FYI, Mk (as in Mk1, Mk2, etc.) stands for "Mark". So you say Mk1 as "mark one", not "M K one". This used to be the rule for all of the Lincoln Mk models as well, until they introduced the MkZ. Initially they said to pronounce it "Mark Z", but then changed it to spelling out the letters.

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Yes I have been told several times on the MK=Mark. I have learned but it is impossible to edit a video once it's posted on KZbin so I'm sure I will be typing this response several more times. I do appreciate it being pointed out and thank you for watching!

[@AaronGranda-g5r]

Clear and comcise

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

Thank you

[@rrshadow2]

I live in the Northwest where nothing rusts and at least a few of every car survives, but I never see 78-80 Fiestas. On rare occasion one pops up for sale but it's always a base model in crappy condition. Where did they all go?? I get that it was a low end economy car, but you would think some decent ones have survived

[@TonysFordsandMustangs]

I saw one the day I made the video just driving down the road. It wasn't nice but it was still driving along and I live in the salt belt. Thanks for watching!

[@pcluvvw7129]

A family member had 2. I believe he used one for parts. It took a beating and kept going.